I'm finally back an unpacked from my vacation, gearing up for another trip soon! I thoroughly enjoyed my week jaunt to Hermosa Beach. We packed in so many activities, I know some followers are headed to that area soon so I'm putting together a travel guide in the next week! First up, is Catalina Island. Last time I visited Hermosa, I could always see the island in the distance whenever I was at the beach. I told myself that the next time I visited we would go! It definitely didn't disappoint and made for a fun day trip!

There is one main way to get to Avalon (city on Catalina), and that is the Catalina Express Ferry. The ferry boards in the morning and you choose the return time. We left at 8:15 AM and came back at 6:15 PM. This was plenty long for us but if you are planning on staying on the island for dinner I would choose a later time! The ferry ride is an hour and it can get pretty choppy depending on the weather, waves, etc., so if you get sea sick - take some motion sickness medicine! On the way home we were all so tired and we decided to sit on the deck outside so it was quite chilly but very relaxing.

When we arrived on the island, I was in awe of how quaint it was...it reminded me of the harbor town I visited last year in France, Honfleur. There are many boats, big and small that lined the harbor and the pebble beach was filled with smiling kids. The first thing we did was rent a golf cart, they are first come first serve and they don't take reservations so have a flexible plan!

What To Do:
Rent A Golf Cart - This was our main activity, we wanted to be able to see a lot of Avalon and the nearby sites. This was so fun and we loved that we were able to go at our own pace. They give you a map of the ideal road to follow and once we completed that we strayed from that and went other places we could visit.
Beach Day - It was HOT when we were there, so laying on the beach and dipping our feet in the water was a must. They have a sandy portion to the beach but when you go down the steps it becomes a pebble beach so just beware if your feet are sensitive. The water was incredible!

Shopping - There are so many cute shops, Avalon is like a little village of colorful storefronts so there's a lot to look at!

Zip-lining - I really wanted to do this but...it was very expensive for all of us to go, over $500 expensive. On the golf cart we were able to see where people were zip-lining so that was cool but it just didn't make sense for us - we were also here peak season so the price was a lot higher, there are select times when it's $99 per person. If you've never been zip-lining I think this was be the perfect place to go. I've been before so I knew what I was missing!

Obstacle Course - We came across this super cool obstacle course driving around on the golf cart that we didn't even know about it! Again, I have done something like this but if you never have it looked like so - much - fun! It's only $49 per person and I would say totally worth it!

Parasailing - I love parasailing, I went in Mexico a few years back...everyone should try it as it's completely different then expected. They will take you just outside of the harbor, it would be another amazing view of the island!

Where To Eat:
The Lobster Trap - Hands down some of the best fresh food ever! Everything except for the clam chowder is homemade, yes even the ranch is homemade for those midwesterners that will be visiting! I had the grilled shrimp tacos and steamed veggies and we shared French fries with their house seasoning, it was delicious! They also have a really cute "deck" that looks like a boat where we sat...made for fun ambiance.
Scoops - After the golf cart ride we needed a treat to cool off before we did some shopping and headed to the beach. Scoops is right on the main strip and they have the best homemade ice cream and gelato. My mom got their frozen lemonade (again, homemade, hand-squeezed lemonade) and said it was just as good as the limoncello she had in Italy.

Lua Larry's - We were pretty tuckered at the end of the day and had an hour to kill to we decided to go to Lua Larry's and get a drink. Tip: order their special drink of the day, you get a terrible hat with the drink but it's all about the experience. We ended up gifting the hat to a little kid waiting in line for the ferry. #sorryparents Anyways, this was a super fun bar and they had great chips & salsa (homemade).